Thank you mike, much appreciate it. :twothumbsup: It is a bit confusing. I thought getting rid of the ten fetters was job done. :shrug: It seems that the texts often give different ways of classifying essentially the same thing. But different classifications are useful for different purposes (e.g. ...

Another point i pondered is the dhamma followers of Buddha time were taught to review their experience and actions in mind. In comparison, modern ones like us tend to use writings on note book or computer typing to analyse systematically. So which way is more superior? :mrgreen: Though written mate...

A monk told me he is reading thr vedas, so vedas were also put into writing till much later? They were put in writing around 1200 BCE to 800 BCE. So they were around during the Buddha's time. The Pali Canon was oral until around 100 BCE to 50 CE. There appears to be some disagreement on when they w...

“One must cut off five, abandon five, And must develop a further five. A bhikkhu who has surmounted five ties Is called a crosser of the flood.” What is the difference between cut off and abandon in this context? I generally use "eliminate" for all ten. Why we can't use one word for all? For native...

... Are there more? From my understanding, there is only one scenario in which the Buddha reaches out to others, and that's 1) surveying the landscape with his powers. Perhaps you are still focusing on preaching. I don't have the background to explain the Mahayana world view in detail, but the Maha...

Context would suggest to me that it's possibly... Cut five (lower) fetters, abandon five cords of sense pleasure Develop five faculties/powers ... but there's so many lists in the suttas, it could well be something else. Do you have Bhikkhu Bodhi's translation of the SN? It's probably in the footno...

This is an interesting discussion, which I think highlights the different world views that have been developed in the various Buddhist traditions. So it's absolutely arrogant for Mahayanists to assume they can enlighten people by avoiding enlightenment themselves ... I think that this is a misunders...

the "A"vitakka. It doesn't mean annihilation. If you fail in something then someone corrects you and you then get it how to do it but you won't accept that then that is A. ... I'm sorry, I'm having difficulty following your post. Are you saying that you disagree with Bhikkhu Bodhi and Bhikkhu Sujat...

If a teacher demands total obedience, and the exclusion of experimentation, they aren't a teacher but a petty autocrat. Yes, but that would be a rather extreme case. My experience is that I've got the most out of teachers by putting aside doubts, seriously listening, and trying what they suggest. F...

I'm disappointed to not get any comments about the translation of vitakka and vicāra in this sutta. :tongue: V&V are present in the first jhana, but not the second and are translated here as "placing the mind and keeping it connected", wheres other translators use "thought and examination". This is ...

Would you argue that Mahasi Sayadaw and others who seem to have taught "the development of Vipassana at the expense of samatha" (to paraphrase your wording) were ultimately changing their practice later on, or allowing for some sort of balance at a later point? Alternatively, was Mahasi Sayadaw mis...

Where this gets really interesting is, when one walks with open eyes through many modern 'Theravada' Thai temples -- even, or maybe especially the Royal Temples in Bangkok (Wat Pra Kaew, Wat Po) and Chiang Mai (Wat Phra Singh, Wat Suan Dok) are good examples -- and looks at the depicted iconography...

The nature of the Goenka organisation makes these things seem rather heavy handed. The difference with a "normal" teacher is that you can discuss your progress and she/he can vary things to suit you. However, if you want to seriously make use of of a teacher, you'd probably take their advice about w...

I think it's just whatever you are used to. And, as I said, different groups have variable pronunciation. The monks I'm familiar with are much more precise than some I've experience... I've only seriously chanted with groups, and mostly Thai or Thai-influenced. I've never had much inclination to cha...